Roasted Poblano Pesto and Spring Green Frittata

Have I mentioned the German Shepherd puppy we ‘rescued’ earlier this spring? My middle son was playing in the driveway during spring break when he spotted a puppy running around the orchard above our house.

He went to investigate and came walking into the house a short time later carrying a large but very frightened and sickly puppy. Caught completely off guard, we agreed to try and find the owner and let him stay until we found a place for him. A few nights of love and care by our 11-year-old and one semi-traumatic (lets just say the puppy was extremely afraid to ride in the car and I’ll spare you the rest of the details) visit to the veterinarian for some much needed medicine and Max unofficially became an official part of our family. Also, no luck finding the owner either.

If you’re keeping track around here, that’s three dogs, two of which are under a year old. It’s a tad chaotic. The dogs are playful, curious, demanding and very naughty. Their favorite past-times include sleeping on furniture they aren’t supposed to be on, chewing the low hanging limbs off trees and destroying garden hoses.

I think I was on my third trip to Walmart for a new hose when I walked through the grocery section on my way to the garden center and noticed a huge display of poblano peppers. I couldn’t resist filling a bag with the dark green peppers and bringing them home. One of my favorite ways to use the peppers is to roast them under the broiler in the oven until charred and blackened. I peel the skin off the peppers and add them to the food processor to make a wonderfully flavorful pesto with raw pumpkin seeds, garlic, cilantro, green onions and a little lime juice. The poblanos are smokey and spicy, the pumpkin seeds give the pesto a touch of an earthy, nutty flavor and the cilantro and lime brightens the flavors right up.

I like to make a double batch of the pesto and save it in my fridge to use all week long. I smother the pesto on egg frittatas, steak tacos and in quesadillas with sautéed mushrooms and creamy goat cheese. This recipe is a favorite because it works with so many flavors and dishes.

Roasted Poblano Pesto

• 3 poblano peppers

• 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

• 2 garlic scapes, roughly chopped (2 cloves regular garlic is just fine too)

• 1/4 cup chives OR 2 green onion, roughly chopped

• 1 bunch cilantro, stems discarded

• Juice of a lime

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Pinch of black pepper

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place poblano peppers on the tray. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, turning the peppers so they are evenly coated in the oil. Set the oven to broil and roast the peppers under the broiler for about 10 minutes total or until they are charred and blackened on all sides. You will need to turn the peppers at least once to ensure they char on all sides. When the peppers are charred, remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl with tin foil and set aside for 10 minutes. The steam from the peppers will loosen the skin of the pepper.

Once the peppers have cooled slightly, peel the outer skin off the peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor. Add the pepitas along with the garlic scapes, chives, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to break down the ingredients and then turn on and drizzle in the remaining olive oil until the pesto is smooth. Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if necessary. Store in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


Spring Green Egg Frittata

• 10 eggs

• 1/3 cup 2 percent cottage cheese

• 1/3 cup half and half

• 1 big handful baby spinach, roughly chopped

• 8 stems asparagus, woody stems removed, diced

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk eggs, cottage cheese and half and half together. Roughly chop baby spinach and add to the bowl. Wash and remove woody stems from the asparagus and chop into bite-size pieces. Add the asparagus to the egg mixture and gently stir to combine. Salt and pepper generously.

Pour egg and vegetable mixture into prepared pan. Make sure the spinach and asparagus are spread evenly throughout the egg mixture. Sprinkle the flour and baking soda over the egg mixture. Gently pour the melted butter over the flour and then gently stir incorporate into the eggs.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the frittata comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about five minutes before slicing into pieces.

Place a slice of frittata on a plate and drizzle poblano pesto over the top before serving. Frittata serves 9.